


(D)umb (N)erd (A)ttraction

by Iaintnosidekick



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Co-workers, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Genetic Disorders & Abnormalities, Genetics, Long-Distance Relationship, Mentions of Cancer, Star Wars Modern AU, This that but as a whole fic, genetic counseling, its a very nerdy fic guys, science AU, will put warnings before each section, you all know that one smile ben give rey after they kiss?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29275095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iaintnosidekick/pseuds/Iaintnosidekick
Summary: Rey is a clinical genetic counselor working to help her patients understand their genetic information and how it affects them and their families. Often, she calls Ben, a Laboratory Genetic Counselor who helps her interpret results and provide solutions to the problems she faces. Rey seems to always find a reason to call him and he is all too eager to help her.Or... a series of calls between Rey and Ben where they work on cases and go from professional to friends to more.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 14
Kudos: 73
Collections: Ijustfellintothissendhelp





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the Genetic Counselor AU absolutely no one asked for. I am in the field and while I tried to make all the science talk accurate, neither the characters nor the patients are based on real people (HIPAA please don’t come for me). If you happen to be a nerd like me and notice any nerdy mistakes, please let me know. Otherwise, please enjoy (probably) your first introduction into the world of genetics!
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : I am not (yet) a genetic counselor! Please DO NOT comment your personal/family history or message me asking if you should be tested. If you’re concerned, you can check out the NSGC website (nsgc.org). They have a ton of resources and have a list of all genetic counselors in the USA (my apologies to the rest of the world).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Mentions **: Colon Cancer, Pediatric Cancer, Li-Fraumeni Syndrome****

MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2/ Lynch Syndrome   
**Mention** : Colon Cancer

Rey’s phone rang right as she was going to clock out. It’d been a long clinic day with a wide array of personalities, education, and willingness to learn. Of course, most of her patients were lovely. She was blessed to see mostly people older in age who were eager to speak with her. Either for themselves or for the sake of their families. They usually saw her younger age and immediately extended that warmth to her, making sure she knew just how grateful they were for her help. It was honestly the best part of her job. But every once in awhile… she’d get that one patient that just… wasn’t so lovely. Which was why she picked up the phone.

“Dune County General Cancer Genetics,” she answered cheerfully, “This is Rey.”

“Hey, Rey,” a very familiar voice said through the earpiece, “How was your day today?”

“Hey, Ben. It was alright,” she smiled, relaxing back into her office chair. “I assume you saw my email?”

“Yeah, that’s a tough one….” he sighed, soft with sympathy, “Not sure why insurance is giving you such a hard time about it.”

She hummed through tight lips, a sharp chuckle slipping out through flared nostrils.

“Well, he hasn’t met his deductible for the year, and even if he did, they'd only pay for germline testing.”

“Didn’t he have abnormal IHC on his path report?”

“Yep. His tumor is missing MSH2/MSH6, but they won’t do tumor testing because they didn't go back and test for methylation.”

“It’s hard for me to believe they didn’t do methylation. There is no point in doing IHC otherwise.”

“I know, but his surgery was done at his local hospital on the other side of the state and I don’t think they do this type of testing very often. We were lucky to get him here in the first place.”

He paused, probably nodding to himself. By now, Ben was very aware of the problems she faced being part of the only collection of Genetic counselors within a 200-mile radius. They’d first been introduced when she reached out to FO Labs in a desperate attempt to help prove their services were a benefit to the community. He’d provided her everything from stats on how cancer GCs benefit mammogram clinics to tips on how to talk to a health board. At first, she’d found it kind of odd a lab GC would be so willing to help a traditional clinic GC take away potential consumers--FO Labs’s business model of directly testing patients with only a one-time video appointment relied on those rural areas with no close large medical facility---but by now, he’s proven that he understands the value of clinics in a local health care system even if the rest of FO Labs didn’t.

“And he absolutely will not do self-pay, correct?”

“He can’t afford it,” she admitted to him, eyeing the patient's chart which was sticking out from her desk drawer. She could still picture him huffing out of her office, “I also don’t think he really understood why it’s important. He was definitely an ‘I already know everything I need to know and nothing you could say can help me’ kind of person. It took a lot just to convince him to spit for me.”

“That’s really tough,” Ben said, his voice noticeably softening, “How are you doing after that?”

Rey paused. It was obvious what he was doing. He was using the exact same tone they’d all had to perfect for patients in distress. She was especially familiar with his variation since she’d confided many stressful situations to him over their working relationship. While she’d usually try to wave him off--though also making sure he knew she appreciated his efforts--something about his subtle concern made her respond honestly. 

“Well, I’m frustrated that I got flustered,” she admitted, trying not to sound like she was kicking herself too hard... again, “I mean, he’s going through a really hard time, and I just couldn’t get through to him. I think the whole appointment just made him feel worse.”

The other side of the line went quiet. It was hard to tell if he was considering if she was right or just deciding how to make her feel better. It could go either way really, but in the end, he must have decided somewhere in the middle.

“I know you did your best. Not everyone can be sweet, old mom making sure her daughters get a mammogram every year.”

The corner of her mouth quirked, jokingly wondering if he had read her thoughts from earlier. 

“He heard you more than you think he did. I mean he did fill a tube for you.”

“I hope you’re right....”

“And the insurance thing is just adding more pressure to the whole thing,” he continued, putting heavy emphasis on the ‘i’ word, “I know some people that work for that pathology lab. Let me see if I can dig up his methylation report for you or even go back to do it. If not, I’ll help you challenge the insurance company to get it all covered.”

“I don’t want to give you more work than you already have.”

“It’s not a problem,” he insisted, the sound of typing already clicking behind him, “plus, it’s more advantageous for FO Labs if it all gets covered.”

Rey laughed, appreciating the fact he was only half-joking, “Right, well thank you.”

“Of course.” 

A comfortable silence fell, Rey smiled to herself. This wasn’t the first time he’d declared he was going to fight an insurance company for her. His success rate was much higher than hers, and sometimes she wondered if he had some type of shady deal with them. Either way, he was a great resource, and she was very happy to have his help. 

Suddenly, she was pulled out of her thoughts by a sharp inhale, “Aw shoot, did I catch you before you could leave again?”

Rey glanced over at the clock; she hadn’t realized how long they’d been on the phone. “Yeah, but you didn’t keep me from anything.”

“I’m so sorry, I keep forgetting about time zones.”

Rey laughed, swinging in her chair, “You do always seem to call me when I’m clocking out.”

“It’s the most consistently calm part of my day,” he admitted, gifting her with a little, apologetic laugh, “Maybe I’ll just have to block out a spot for you in my schedule.”

“Do we really talk that much?”

“Enough that keeping you from going home has become a habit.”

She mirrored his chuckle, “Well, I’d better go then.”

“Alright, I’ll keep you posted about what my contacts say.”

“Great, thank you, Ben.”

“You’re welcome, Rey. Have a good evening.”

“Thanks, you too. Bye.”

She hung up and sat back into her chair with a sigh. She still didn’t feel great about her day, but she did feel better. At least things were moving, so hopefully, the logistics of everything could be solved. It amazed her that Ben always seemed to have a solution to most of her problems. There was always someone he could call or something he could do. Ben has to be one of the best lab GC’s she’s ever worked with. Plus he wasn’t hard to listen to either.

The Central Dogma of Human Genetics: DNA is transcribed into RNA which is translated into protein

“So, that is FO Labs’s RNA testing piolet,” Ben’s voice told them through the projector’s speakers. “Any initial thoughts?”

Almost every chair in the conference room squeaked uncomfortably. Rey met eyes with Finn who was in the chair across from her and wasn’t surprised to see her own discomfort mirrored on his face. It’d taken them a month to carve out enough time for this meeting, and they all had instantly regretted it. It was supposed to be an in-person session with Hux--their FO Labs rep--where they just had to sit there and suffer through one of his classic long-winded presentations. However, he’d called in sick last minute, so Ben was called in to do it over the phone. Which would have been fine, if he’d been given more than five minutes to prep. 

“Does that really apply to pediatrics?” Finn asked, leaning closer to the conference phone, not trusting its years of age to provide a clean sound. “I just don't see how this would benefit us when we already do so much whole-genome sequencing.”

“Right,” Ben said, audibly flipping through his notes, “But while we’re in these early stages, we suggest you offer it to patients with outstanding uncertain variants and have strong family histories. So we can try to reclassify them.”

“So, this is more of a research project?” Rose piped in, eyebrows firmly pointed toward the bridge of her nose. 

“For now,” Ben admitted, papers moving again, “But eventually RNA could be done alongside normal testing to have an answer for VUSs on the report.”

“But right now it wouldn’t benefit our patients all that much,” Rey sighed, “Or at least, not our new, untested patient. Plus, there’s no guarantee any patients we do enroll will get their variant reclassified.”

“No…” his papers remained silent, but Rey could basically hear his mind turning about trying to form words. “But long term, it could help develop a more precise test that could help them in the future. Then maybe we’ll be able to get them reclassified faster.”

Rose sighed, eyeing Rey apologetically before leaning back into her chair. “I think it’s interesting, Ben, and I’m really curious to see how the technology evolves, but I think I’ll have to pass.” She paused, maybe waiting for a reply, but kept going when none came. “I’m already swamped with patients as is, and I’m neck-deep in trying to convince our higher-ups that they need to hire a GC Assistant for prenatal.”

Rey nodded, familiar with her busy schedule. Rose had taken over for a GC Rey’d never met but has since basically revamped the whole program. She reached out to rural primary care offices to educate them on genetics, trained a couple of nurses, and now runs a telegenetics program for the whole state. Her Fridays were completely dedicated to community outreach and traveling to towns that may not normally have access to prenatal genetics testing. She was amazing, but even she couldn’t take on everything. 

“I’m going to have to say no as well,” Finn added before Rey could even think of speaking, “It’d take a hail Mary to convince my doctors they need to bother their patients with this, plus it’d be a nightmare to push through our research board.”

He rolled his eyes at the last part. It wasn’t that the hospital never wanted to do research, but it took a lot to convince them to fund it. Finn had gone through hell just to write up a case study, who knows what they’d think about a project that took up valuable clinic time. 

“Alright,” Ben murmured, taking a moment before asking, “And what are you thinking Rey?”

She paused, looking down to fiddle with her pen. It wasn’t that she felt bad, she knew it wouldn’t hurt his feelings or anything. He just obviously wasn’t a salesman and it would have taken one amazing pitch to pick up such a time-consuming project. Just from listening to him, she knew he did believe in the project and the test’s potential. However, he also knew how much they already worked in a day. It’s kind of hard to sell someone on something when you yourself also think it is too much of a hassle. And it was. Just thinking about her schedule made her head roll, and she knew practically she couldn’t do it. But she still didn’t want to give him a third no.

“I’m sorry, Ben,” she sighed, elbows folding onto the desk in defeat. “Maybe over the summer when I have a volunteer to take over some of my overhead, but I just can’t handle the extra work right now.”

They were all silent for a moment. Rey’s stomach chewed on her lunch grumpily, and she wished she could have been anywhere else. Even having Hux’s face to say ‘no’ to would have made her less anxious. At least he was too self-important to take it personally. 

The silence broke with a crackling sigh through the speaker. “Well, if corporate wanted to get you guys on board they should have found a better spokesman.” 

His soft chuckle evoked a ripple of laughter from the rest of them, but Rey was mostly relieved to hear the levity in his voice. 

“I think you explained the process pretty well,” Rose told him, a soft smile lifting the corner of her mouth. 

“Yeah, and I’m excited to see where this will go when it’s fully launched,” Finn added.

“Thanks, guys,” Ben laughed, confidence back in his tone, “I keep trying to tell them they need to focus on the larger hospital systems and that you all are strained as it is.”

“We do our best,” Rey protested though with a softer edge.

“Right, I meant…” Ben backpedaled; “They should go to places where they aren’t the only option for genetic testing within their state.”

“They like to throw a wide net,” Rose sighed.

“Along with some good bagels,” Finn added.

With that, the tension burst from the pressure of their laughter. Even Ben’s familiar cheer rang out through the static.

“Thanks, guys,” he beamed out to them, “How busy are you all today?”

“Very,” Rey groaned.

“Dr. Akbar stacked up my afternoon so I could sneak here for a bit,” Finn groaned. “I’ve got an interesting neuro case I’ll probably email you about later.”

“I look forward to it,” Ben replied, “I’ll let you all go early to make up for the lack of baked goods. Have a great day guys.”

They all said some variation of “Thanks, Ben, you too,” before hearing the click of the phone call ending. They heaved a collective sigh.

“They should send him instead of Hux every time,” Rose teased, with only a slight hint of sarcasm.

“I don’t know, Hux does find good bagels,” Finn retorted.

One final chuckle passed between them as they got up to leave. Rey was happy the meeting didn’t end as awkward as it started. For a moment, she thought maybe she should call him to see how he was doing later. The thought instantly felt unprofessional, and she swatted it away. 

TP53/ Li-Fraumeni Syndrome   


**Mention** : Childhood Cancer 

It didn’t take long for him to call after she got the result. Rey didn’t see his name anywhere on it, but he must have kept an eye out anyway. He’d helped her order it, so of course, he wanted to see it through to the end. But, that wasn’t why he was calling her. No, he was calling her because it came with a little red plus sign.

“Cancer Genetics, this is Rey,” she answered even though she knew it was him.

“Hey, Rey,” he greeted her, his sympathies already oozing out of the speaker, “I saw the bad news.”

Instead of responding, she let out a long breath and leaned back into her chair. The report glowed harshly in front of her, so, trying to ignore it, she looked up at the ceiling. This wasn’t the first time she’d gotten a bad report. After all, it was her job to test those most likely to have gene mutations. But there would always be a few that just hit a little too hard. 

“She’s so young,” was what she ended up saying. 

“Those are always hard,” he agreed, definitely speaking from experience. 

“She was so cute, Ben,” Rey pouted, thinking back to their appointment, “We played airplane with the cotton swab for at least half an hour.” 

“That’s so sweet,” he agreed, chuckling at her, “Does your hospital system have a doctor you can refer her to?”

Rey shook her head, trusting he’d know she’d done so. “We have one doctor who has some Li-Fraumeni experience, but he’s not what I’d call an expert.”

“So, not a specialist?”

“No…,” her eyes fell back down to the report. The name of her patient loomed heavy in the corner. So much, in fact, a knot formed in the back of her throat, “Unless her parents want to move her to a bigger city, I’ll have to watch her.” 

There was no hiding the change in her voice. It’d been such a long time since Rey had gotten to work with children that she'd been selfishly excited to see her on her schedule. She’d been sweet, a little shy, but warmed up after a while. Even her parents had been nice and attentive to everything Rey said. Their appointment had been the highlight of her day. The memory was covered in gloom now that she knew what it would reveal. It was good that they knew; she had a better chance at life now that they did. But that didn’t make it any less heartbreaking.

“I’ll send over some resources,” Ben quietly offered, after she’d been silent for long enough, “I know a good paper that lays out all the guidelines and required screenings.”

“Thanks,” she whispered, worried he’d hear the crack in her voice as a tear fell down her cheek. 

“I’ll also see if there are any funds or research studies she'd apply for,” he continued, not betraying if he did. “I know of a couple of organizations that can help with coordination and maybe even make sure she gets a full body MRI every year.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Rey sniffed embarrassingly loud as the other side of her face became damp, “I’m sure I’ve got I have all that information somewhere.”

“It’s no problem,” he insisted, gentle with his finality, “I’ll dig them out while you worry about helping your patient.”

Closing her eyes, she gave up whatever instinctive protest had bubbled up in her distress. She could hear him breathe on the other side of the line and was surprised how comforting it was. Not so much the sound but the fact he was there. Or at least as ‘there’ as he could be. She appreciated it, even if he heard her cry. 

“Okay,” she relented, quietly wiping the tears out of her eyes, “I’m sure her oncologist will appreciate it.”

“Of course,” he lowered his voice, “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” she replied, hoping he could hear her smile, “I have to go call her mom now.”

“Good luck, let me know how it goes.” 

“Will do,” she agreed, before adding, “Talk to you later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Below each chapter will be some genetics facts for my fellow nerds and anyone curious. I'll also be updating every few days over a two week period. Each call was a little short so I chunked them together to give you all more every post. Hope you stick with me and enjoy some dumb nerd romance!
> 
> **Nerd Facts:  
> **  
>  Germline testing refers to testing your normal "non-cancer" cells. Usually your blood or cheek cells. This testing determines if you were born with a mutation. Cancer DNA has a different genome as it has acquired mutations over time. Usually, tumor testing is done to determine treatment options or to try to detect germline mutations. 
> 
> MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6 are all genes associated with Lynch syndrome which increases one's risk for Colon and Endometrial cancer (among others). These tumors are usually tested (IHC testing) to see if all of those genes are working. If some are not and if there is no methylation present it suggests the patient has Lynch Syndrome. Methylation is how genes are turned on and off without changing the actual gene. 
> 
> RNA testing refers to looking at an individual's RNA to make sure no error is caused during transcription. Meaning the gene may not be mutated, but something is going wrong when it is trying to be expressed. I have to be honest, this is a new test and when I wrote this it was mostly in its piolet phase. We weren't sure what it could be used for so my apologies if it looks like I'm coming down on it. If your GC orders it, it's for a reason!
> 
> Whole-genome sequencing is testing the entire genome and not just the genes. This includes non-coding sites and splicing regions. Usually used when we know something is up but we cannot narrow it down to a smaller test. Fun fact, it works better if both parents can be tested as well. 
> 
> People with Li-Fraumeni syndrome have a mutation in the TP53 gene. TP53 is the most common mutation in tumors, so being born with one is not good. Increases risk for basically every cancer including pediatric cancer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Mentions** : Pancreatic and Prostate Cancer, Polyposis, Cystic Fibrosis
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : I am not (yet) a genetic counselor! Please DO NOT comment your personal/family history or message me asking if you should be tested. If you’re concerned, you can check out the NSGC website (nsgc.org).

PALB2, BRCA2, CDKN2A/Pancreatic Cancer  
**Mention** : Pancreatic and Prostate cancer

“I have to tell you something.”

Rey froze in her chair. Immediately, her mind raced to decide what in the word he had meant by that. His tone was even, completely casual, and devoid of any emotional clue… which of course made it worse. There was no information to thin out the possibilities or slow the expanding weight in her gut. It couldn’t have been anything bad… but then again why couldn’t it be? 

“Okay….” She paused, struggling to keep a cool tone, “You sound like you’re quitting or something.”

“No, it's nothing like that,” he laughed apologetically, though a bit strained. “My dad is coming to see you.”

Rey nearly choked.

“You’re Dad lives in Dune County?”

“Well he has a large chunk of land not far away,” he sighed before explaining, “He was diagnosed fairly young with prostate cancer. High Gleason score, thankfully not metastatic. They got it out quick, and he is all fine now. He’s been ignoring my attempts to get him tested for years, but then his doctor found out his father had pancreatic cancer so….”

“Oh,” she nodded, remembering a chart like that passing across her desk. “So, he’s coming to see me?”

“I didn’t know he was specifically seeing you until he called me the other day,” he blurted out, “He called me after he was already scheduled, asked if I knew you and whether it was worth the time. I didn’t send him to you or anything.”

“I mean that would have been fine,” she assured, a smile tugging at her lips. 

She’d never heard Ben flustered before. She couldn’t lie, it was pretty endearing. Especially since it was because she was going to meet his dad. Remembering the chart again, she opened her desk drawer and flipped through the tabs. When she found the one in question, she pulled it free and read the name allowed. 

“Mr. Han Solo?”

“That’s the one,” a low groan confirmed.

She chuckled back and flipped the manilla paper open. “Oh, wow he’s already done his questionnaire.”

“That’s surprising. Mom must have gotten on him to do it before he forgot.”

Rey hummed, trying to control her grin as she shamelessly looked through his dad’s paperwork. “Oh! There you are on the pedigree.”

“Yeah, that should be me,” Ben said back with a hint of his own smile, “Though don’t tell me if he has a secret second child or something.”

“Okay, but what about a third?”

“Then you’re trying to get a HIPAA violation.”

When she laughed, he laughed back. Not the professional chuckle they’d pass back and forth a hundred times, but a real friendly laugh. Not that Rey would ever be so bold to think she was one of his real friends, but she enjoyed the thought. If but for a moment.

“So yeah,” he finally said, having realized they’d trailed off. “I just wanted to give you a heads up.”

“Well, thank you,” Rey nodded, somewhat startled by her own turn of thought. Shaking it off, she mentioned, “The only problem I can think of is if he doesn’t sign our release of information form. I might have to use a different lab.”

If he noticed her pivot back to professionalism, he didn’t comment. Though he did match. “I understand. Though I don’t think he’d risk my mom’s wrath for that.”

“I’d hope not,” she agreed, smiling yet again. His early embarrassment had completely disappeared, and she had to admit she liked hearing him act not so straight-laced. Even if they needed to reel it back a bit, she didn’t mind them keeping some slack, “Sounds like it will be an interesting appointment.”

FAP, MUTYH/ Polyposis syndrome  
**Mention** : Colonoscopy, APC, polyposis 

“Hello?” Ben answered through a scratchy and very loud speakerphone.

“Hey, Ben,” his father said directly into the other end of his ancient flip phone, “I’m at that genetic appointment thing.”

“Hi, Ben,” Rey called over, trying to sound as apologetic as she could.

“Oh, hi, Rey,” he said, sounding about as confused as she’d expected, “Everything going alright?”

“Yes,” she told him, leaning closer to the phone. Taking the opportunity to regain some control of the situation, she continued, “Your dad wanted to clarify something about one of his relatives. I told him that we don’t need exact information, but he insisted that you knew about them.”

Ben hummed, sounding surprisingly skeptical. “That’s funny because I know absolutely nothing about his family.”

“Me neither,” Mr. Solo chuckled, giving Rey a rather mischievous wink. “It's a question about you, Benny. When you were little, your mom took you in to check out your bloody poops or something. How old were you then?”

Rey didn’t know you could hear someone go beat red. “I was 6, but Dad, that’s not really relevant to what Rey is asking about.”

“No?” his dad chuckled, “But didn’t they go up and find colon polyps or something?”

“No, it was just a lesion,” Ben corrected, curtly, “No growth, nothing cancerous.”

“Oh…” his tough clicked behind amused teeth, “Alright, my bad, kiddo.”

“But, you can confirm you guys do not know anything about his family?” Rey chimed in, happy to rescue Ben from whatever Father-Son harassment was going on.

“Just that Grandpa died of pancreatic,” Ben affirmed, rather defeatedly.

“Alright,” she said, jotting down some notes. Mostly to make her feel like the call was worth something, “Thank you, Ben.” 

“Yeah, thanks Benny,” his Dad said, no longer trying to hold back a shameless grin, “I’ll call you on my way home okay?”

“That’s be great,” Ben sighed, obviously thankful the end was in sight, “I have to get back to work now. Goodbye.”

And just like that, he hung up. Mr. Solo continued to laugh under his breath, and he snapped his phone shut.

“Aw well, guess he wasn’t that much help.”

CFTR/Cystic Fibrosis  
**Mention** : Cystic Fibrosis

“So… were you allowed to work on your father’s report at all?”

“Not if I wanted to keep corporate from breathing down my neck,” Ben lamented, though they definitely did anyway. “Because, you know, ‘FO Labs values its unbiased reporting’.”

Smiling, she hummed in agreement, “Let them know we do appreciate that. But, for our purposes, your Dad signed our release form and specifically asked me to call you about his results.”

“Of course, he did,” he muttered, so quietly Rey wasn’t sure she’d heard him right.

“Why is that?”

“Nothing, just tell me if it’s good or bad news.”

There’s was an anxious edge to his voice that Rey could sympathize with. She could only imagine how nerve-racking it must have been to be on the other side of this conversation, especially when you know all the different ways it could go. There wasn’t even the comfort of guessing from the family history. To Ben, literally anything could have come out of his father’s test, so Rey made sure to speak as clearly and as quickly as she could. 

“It’s nothing he has to worry about,” she began, trying to start off with a bit of reassurance. “Since your Father’s family history is practically unknown, he opted to get the big multi-condition panel.”

She paused to see if he’d react, and it took him a moment to do so. 

“Really?”

“Yes,” she affirmed before explaining, “After we started talking and I mentioned his insurance only pays for one test ever, so he wanted to go for the option that would test as many genes as possible.”

“Huh,” he huffed, “Wouldn’t have pegged him for wanting to dig around in his genes like that.”

Rey agreed. She’d been similarly surprised by Mr. Solo and just how interested he’d gotten into everything. From their first introduction, Rey had expected him to be the old curmudgeon Ben had alluded to, but he ended up being really nice. In an old, salty, sarcastic way. 

“Well, after we went over the basics, he started asking about more than just cancer. I didn’t push him into it, honest.”

“No, of course not,” he assured, waving it off as he would never think otherwise “So how many genes was that, 120?”

“Just under 150, and then we sent in another sample to do even more out of FO Labs’s carrier catalog.”

“Shoot, what is that, 200 genes?”

“We probably ended up being around 300.”

Ben wasn’t someone Rey would have thought could be lost for words, but Rey was pretty amazed too. Han Solo ended up having the biggest test she had ever ordered. He probably would have done a whole-exome sequencing if he could afford the out-of-pocket. Which he didn’t confirm nor deny, but he said he wanted to take advantage of his insurance first.

“I’d be very shocked if everything came back normal,” he told her, trying not to sound too nervous.

“And I warned him about that,” Rey tried to assure before finally looking down at the report. Making sure to take a breath first, she began to read off the highlighted sections. “On the cancer front, he was completely negative. Though based on his father’s age of onset, I recommend he follow high-risk screening guidelines. But with his prostate removed and the fact he’s over 70, I’m not too worried.”

“Good,” Ben agreed quickly so she could keep going. “That’s good.”

“For cardio, he was all good; metabolic and neuro all look great. Big panels like these don’t report VUSs so we don’t have to worry about those. The only thing is he is a CFTR carrier.”

A pause.

“Cystic Fibrosis?” 

“Yes,” Rey confirmed, waiting in case he had anything to add. She didn’t like how long it took him to respond, and really didn’t like that that was all he said. She wanted to address it, but knew he would rather she kept going. So she did, “Which obviously doesn’t mean anything for him, but you... may want to consider getting tested. If you were planning on having any kids.”

She didn’t know what she expected, but she definitely didn’t expect him to laugh. It actually startled her. 

“That’s not going to happen for me,” he chuckled, red flags shooting straight up, “It’s good to hear there isn’t anything my dad has to worry about.”

“Absolutely,” she agreed, carefully, “Your Dad was lovely to talk to.”

He laughed again, maybe a little too oddly. “He is usually a grumpy old hustler, but it sounds like he melted for you like butter.”

She responded with a chuckle, though she couldn’t get over how weird he sounded. Not just that, but the words he used. Not that he didn’t want kids, she got that. No, they implied...that he didn’t think it was possible. Like, he didn’t deserve it? It was a really weird thought, and she had no idea why she got that feeling. That counseling part of her brain screamed at her to not let him wave it off and ask him about it. If it were any other patient she probably would have the moment he said it. But, because it was him, she hesitated. Not really even because they were colleges, but because it felt… intimate. 

“No, no he was really sweet,” she ended up saying. Despite the thumping in her chest, she felt herself talking, “Hey, you know, even if you’re not worried about kids yet, it may be a good idea to get tested anyway. That way if your situation... changes you’ll already be one step ahead.”

He didn’t say anything, but she felt him freeze. She knew she’d recommend the same thing to anyone else in this situation, but she still felt like she’d stepped over something. Something personal. Whatever it was, she suspected he didn’t really mean to let it slip. Honestly, she was surprised she’d recognized it. But then again, at this point, she knew Ben pretty well. She didn’t want him to feel like he couldn’t talk about it or that it didn’t matter. 

“Thanks, Rey,” he finally said in a very soft tenor, “I’d rather wait on this though. Better find that special someone first, right?”

He laughed like it was a joke, but for some reason, she suddenly got very warm. She could only smile back before picking up his dad’s report like a fan. Something about the way he said it rosied up her whole face. It held something in it that made her feel… something she did not want to name yet. 

“You still there?” he asked before she could get a hold of herself

“Yeah,” she breathed. With a shift in her chair and switching the phone to her other ear, she managed to fumble out a response. “Sorry. Yeah, totally get that. Obviously no rush, insurance will cover a known family mutation no matter when. You may just have a little out of pocket….” Her words collapsed on her tongue and she was going to have to start over if she ever wanted to form a full sentence again. “Do you want me to fax or email his result to you?”

“Umm...,” he thought, apparently amused by her line of questioning, “It’s probably a good idea to leave a paper trail with FO Labs, so you can fax it to me.”

“Great,” she confirmed, about ready to run to the fax machine, “I’ll send it right over.”

“Thanks,” he smirked. Then, absolutely out of nowhere, he added, “And I’ll let you know if my situation ever changes.”

Heat rushed all the way down to her toes. 

“Great,” she practically shrieked, “Bye.”

And then she slammed the phone down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Nerd Facts:**
> 
> Pancreatic cancer is pretty rare and has a higher chance of being hereditary. Every pancreatic patient is eligible for testing and if they aren't able, their first-degree relatives (kids, parents, siblings) are depending on insurance criteria. 
> 
> Usually GC's only order tests in their specialty. There are giant panels that test genes across specialties, but they're usually ordered with the knowledge that if something comes up outside their GC's field they'll have to be referred to another GC.
> 
> Cystic Fibrosis is what we call an autosomal recessive disorder. Meaning someone needs to have two CFTR gene mutations to have the disease. Being a carrier means you only have one copy, so you are not at risk, but if you have kids with another carrier they could have CF. It's a very common test for prenatal genetics as 25% of all Caucasians are carriers. 
> 
> Some labs if a mutation is found in someone they'll test anyone in the family for free for that specific mutation. I was going to mention that here, but I didn't want to make FO sound too much like any one lab.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Mentions** : Marfan Syndrome, Ovarian Cancer, Family BRCA mutation, Past Character Death
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : I am not a genetic counselor! Please DO NOT comment your personal/family history or message me asking if you should be tested. If you're concerned, you can check out the NSGC website (nsgc.org).

FBN1/Marfan Syndrome  
**Mention** : Marfan Syndrome

“Oh hey, Rey.” 

Finn was leaning back in his chair, his office phone balanced between his right ear and shoulder. He was turned to face the door, so of course he spotted her the moment she poked her head into his office. It didn’t look like he was on too serious a call, but Rey still froze in the doorway. She’d have backed away slowly if he hadn’t immediately waved her in with his pearly whites gleaming. 

“Aren’t you on the phone?” she mouthed, eyeing the chord stretching from his ear to the desk.

“I’m just talking to Ben,” he assured at full volume. Without even asking, he placed the phone on his desk and pressed a button on its dock. “Hey, Ben, Rey’s here. You’re on speakerphone.”

“Oh, hello, Rey.”

Ben’s voice crackled through the ancient landline. It was odd to hear him speak through a different speaker. This one distorted his pitch and threatened to cut out before he’d finished talking. But there was no doubt that that was Ben Solo on the other line. 

“Hi, Ben,” she called out, hesitant to leave the safety of the half-open door. Their last interaction still reverberated harshly in her mind, and she didn't really want to give it more strength. “Sorry for barging in. I was just seeing if Finn was ready for lunch.”

“We’re almost done,” Finn emphasized with a wave of his hand, “We were just talking about one of my kids with possible Marfan Syndrome.” 

“Oh yeah?” she lulled, letting her peaked interest lead her inside.

“Actually, Rey, didn't you work in a Marfan clinic before starting at Dune County?” Ben asked.

“Just for a year or two. I mostly just ordered a standard test and connected them with the doctor if they tested positive.”

“Well, maybe together we can cobble up a solution,” Finn declared, now having to look up to gift her with another smile. 

Rey, however, frowned down at him. Something in his eye suggested a mischievous glee that never spelled anything good for her. It was a trait that only had gotten stronger after he’d gotten married. Before, it may not have been uncommon for Finn to have a plan cooking, but Poe’s influence definitely seemed to amplify it. 

“What’s the problem,” she asked, deciding to ignore the thought for now, “Doesn’t FO Labs have a straightforward panel?”

“We do,” Ben told her, not commenting on whether or not he sensed weird tension between the colleges, “But Finn says the patient does not have insurance or the ability to self-pay.”

“He’s in the foster system and in the process of getting Medicaid, but he’s been having some health issues that can’t wait for that all to go through.”

“I was trying to think of a research or sponsorship program that he could apply for. Did you ever come across any in your time at the clinic?”

“Yeah, we did some sponsorship testing,” Rey leaned back on her heels and tried to think back. The clinic had been her first job out of graduate school. Those days full of tall kids and EKGs felt like ages ago. But really she hadn't been working in cancer for much longer, “There was a research program that we used a lot, but I think it’s been completed or at least not accepting new members. The Marfan foundation may be able to pay for it if he’s at a high enough risk.” 

“Yeah, but their application process will take even longer than the insurance,” Finn sighed, fingers tapping on his armchair, “Dr. Akbar is really pushing for a diagnosis ASAP.”

At that, they all fell silent. Marfan Syndrome usually caused complications with the heart, so if they were in a hurry, the patient’s situation must have been pretty serious. It reminded Rey of one of her patients back at the clinic. He just got off of his parent’s insurance and had been waiting for a student plan. He didn’t want to be a part of any research projects, so and when she’d reached out for help, she’d been contacted by a little lab. A lab called….

“Oh!” Rey’s hand slapped down on Finn’s shoulder, “Rebel Labs has a Marfan detect program.”

“Who?” Finn gaped, placing his hand over hers when her excitement made her grip tighten.

“They’re a tiny company based down south,” she grinned, pulling her hand back with a thin apology. “They do a couple of specialty tests to raise syndrome awareness and one of them is Marfan Syndrome.

“Oh yeah, I think I’ve heard of them. Are they still running that program?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t used them recently.”

“They still do,” Ben chimed in, almost making Rey jump, “They’ve got a couple of rare cancer panels you’d might want to put in rotation too.”

“Oh, sorry Ben,” Rey apologized, realizing she’d just suggested another lab. “I didn’t mean to-“

“No, no you should use Rebel labs,” he interrupted, warm with humor. “Your priority is the patient. If FO Labs wanted your business, they should have had a solution.”

That may have sounded a bit corny, but Rey still smiled. She knew he meant it which made her initial guilt feel silly. Of course Finn’s patient came first, but it was nice to know he really believed that. Even if it meant not working with him. 

That thought stretched her smile stupidly wide. Which she was startled out of when she saw Finn was already matching it with a knowing smirk.

“Thanks for your help anyway, Ben,” Finn gleaned, that mischievous sparkle in his eye, “I really appreciate it.” 

“Any time,” he replied tentatively, this time definitely recognizing the pause, “I’ll leave you two for lunch. Talk to you later Rey.”

“Okay,” she said, flustered under Finn’s amused gaze, “Bye.”

“Bye, Ben,” Finn cooed. 

And then he hung up, and Rey reminded herself not to scream.

“What?” Rey demanded, putting on her best annoyed face.

“Oh, nothing,” Finn laughed, poking at her side, “I’ve just never seen you smile like that.”

Rey balked, “Like what?”

“Like how Poe does when he thinks I’ve done something cute.”

Desperate to hide the redness warming across her face, she huffed back, “What is that supposed to mean?”

Instead of engaging with her annoyance, he reached over to return the phone to its receiver and grab his wallet. He stood up to look her in the eye while he said, “We’d better get moving. Rose has ordered without us before, and she will not hesitate to do so again.”

BRCA1, BRCA2/ Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer   
**Mention** : BRCA Mutation, Ovarian Cancer, past character death 

“How many family members are coming?”

“Eight,” Rey counted, silently naming all of them on her fingers, “Plus the proband who already had their follow-up appointment.”

“Jeez, Rey,” Ben gaped, a shift in white noise indicating he was shaking his head, “That's going to be more of a boardroom presentation than a GC appointment.”

“I made sure to reserve the conference room with the new projector,” she bragged despite knowing full well it was a used projector. “I’m going to be able to hook it up to my laptop and everything.”

“Very high tech. Are you going to be able to write on your PowerPoint too?”

“As long as I bring my dry erase markers.”

His laugh crackled through the phone speaker, making Rey chuckle back. It wasn’t that they’d been weird since she’d told him about his dad’s report, but she at least felt a little awkward. Though hearing him laugh and joke with her again put her mind at ease. If something had happened during that phone call, it was over now. They could still be colleges who call about normal work things and totally didn’t find any excuse to do so. 

“I assume you’re calling about the truckload of paperwork this is going to cause?”

“Indeed…,” she nodded, “I’m not sure all of them are going to want to be tested immediately. But even if just half of them do, I’m going to be swimming in order forms.”

He hummed sympathetically. “Unfortunately, I can’t think of any way to speed it up using the FO Lab online portal. Do you think you’ll have any time to prep the orders ahead of time?”

“I’ve already blocked out a whole afternoon for the appointment itself. I could try to multitask during my morning meetings.”

“You’re not talking about Hux’s video conference are you?” he teased, feigning an air of disbelief.

“No, no of course not,” she snickered, already laughing again. “I attend all of his meetings with the utmost respect and attention.”

“Of course. Of course.”

He fell silent, which by now she knew meant he was wracking his brain, trying to come up with a solution. She didn’t know how to express how much she appreciated all of the effort he put into helping her with all the issues she brought to him. Even the little ones that she really needed to vent about. She couldn’t imagine how he could give her so much attention with all the other clients he had to deal with, but then again that is probably why he was such a valued lab GC. 

“What if,” he began, bringing her out of her thoughts, “You typed out a paper order with all the overlapping information, printed out eight and just shred the ones you don’t use?”

“Ben, you’re a genius,” she declared. 

“Not really,” he laughed sheepishly, “That’s just what my mom’s GC did when we were getting tested.”

She froze. He must not have noticed it at first, but when she didn’t immediately reply, she heard it dawned on him with a wince. He’d divulged something personal again. He’d done it so casually that she was tempted just to breeze past it. But, it begged a question. One which, she could not help but ask. 

“Your family has a gene mutation?”

Now he took a minute to respond. She was sure now that he hadn’t meant to let it slip. It had happened so naturally, that Rey wondered why it hadn’t happened before. A lot of GCs had a personal reason for getting into the field, and it seemed Ben had a very good reason.

“Yeah,” he finally confirmed, almost at a whisper, “My mom is BRCA1 positive.”

“Oh,” Rey breathed, “Sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay,” he paused before adding, “I tested negative, so it’s not something I personally have to worry about.”

An embarrassingly relieved sigh escaped her. She hoped beyond all hopes that he didn’t hear it. If he did, he didn’t say anything, but she still felt like a jackass. Even if he didn’t have to worry about himself, he had to still be worried about his mom. From the little Rey’s heard of her, she sounded like someone Ben really loved. 

“So, your mom brought your whole family for variant testing?” she blurted out, hating how she sounded like she was digging for more information. 

“It’s not as impressive as it sounds,” he answered, a bit of levity back in his voice, “It was basically just me, her, my Grandpa, and my uncle Luke. Plus my dad, but he was only there to be supportive.”

“That’s sweet,” Rey smiled, “Were you all tested?”

“Yes, all negative thankfully. Which wasn’t a surprise for my Grandpa. Grandma had died young of ovarian cancer, which is why mom got tested in the first place.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he said, quiet again, “It may have been the answer to why she died, but Grandpa still kind of blames himself.”

Rey nodded quietly, letting the silence roll out. Genetic testing was all well and good, but it’s all about how the information is used. She couldn’t imagine being told a loved one had a mutation after they were already gone. 

“Your family sounds really close,” Rey offered, hoping he’d take it.

Instead, he laughed with an unmistakable hint of sarcasm. “It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get them like that. Trust me, my family’s had enough drama to make a blockbuster.”

He laughed again, but Rey could only smile. She wished she could offer him something to commiserate with him, but she honestly couldn’t. The closest thing she’d ever gotten to family were her friendships with Rose, Finn, and Poe; they didn’t have enough of a history to fill with drama.

“I can’t imagine,” she told him honestly.

“It has been a ride,” he reminisced, before falling silent again. 

Rey wondered what he could be thinking about, but didn’t want to disturb him. He sounded far more comfortable telling her about this than their last serious conversation. She wasn’t sure if that meant it was because he was more comfortable confiding in her, or if it was just a less personal topic. Either way, she was happy he trusted her enough to tell her. 

“I’ll make sure your paper orders make it into your portal,” he suddenly told her, completely switching gears.

“Oh, right, thanks,” she fumbled, snapping back to their original topic, “I’ll let you know when their samples get shipped out.”

“Great, talk to you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah,” she agreed, smiling, “Talk to you then.”

NSGC/National Society of Genetic Counselors 

“So, are you going to NSGC?” Rey asked, sounding about as casual as a christmas tree in June. 

“I am hoping to,” Ben confirmed, sounding like he was trying not to laugh at her. “For some reason, FO Labs is nervous about sending all of its GC’s away for a week.”

“Are they worried that if they let you off the leash, you’ll never come back?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time one of their GCs has gone rogue.”

When she laughed at him, he laughed back. It was a beautiful sound that Rey was becoming embarrassingly attached to. She could only imagine the toothy smile that came with it, and she could no longer ignore her budding desire to see it. 

“Do you all not normally get to go?” she asked, pulling herself away from that thought.

“Nope. Up until this year, the conference was treated like an incentive to be awarded to the ‘hardest working’ employees.”

“Ugh,” she booed. Ben complained about the corporate side of FO Labs a lot, but at that, she got a bad taste in her mouth, “I can think of five ways that must have been abused”

“Only five? We came up with twenty for the HR complaint.”

“You helped take down the man?”

“I kind of had to,” he admitted, trying to sound nonchalant though Rey knew he was proud of himself, “No one else here has the leverage to make sure it didn’t get pushed under the rug.”

“I think that’s awesome,” she beamed, “It had to have taken a lot of courage to do that.”

“Yeah, I guess... I do my best.” 

He sounded embarrassed, but Rey couldn’t get the smile off her face. She was proud of him, fighting for his fellow employees. She could almost see him standing up to some big wig, demanding their right to “continued education”. Of course, it couldn’t have been that dramatic, but it was fun to think of him acting so noble.

“How about you?” he asked, seemingly desperate to pull the focus away from himself, “You, Finn, and Rose driving out together?”

“Nope,” she said, happy to tell him about her own little battle they had recently won, “We found enough money in the Fall budget for a flight.”

“Wow,” he teased, “Look at you, traveling all fancy.”

“Yes we are! It also turns out renting one cottage house is cheaper than three hotel rooms. We’re going to be living large.”

“That sounds nice. You deserve a break from work.”

Rey blushed. She was sure their plans sounded quaint compared to the high-rise hotel FO labs always booked close to the convention hall. Though, he sounded genuinely happy for her, as he always did. She had planned to mention the other reason they’d decided to stay in a house, but it was getting caught in her throat. She needed a couple of breaths to build up the courage to blurt it out. 

“Rose is hosting some pre-conference drinks at our place the night before,” she managed to say, her face getting hotter with every word, “She said you can come if you want.”

“Yeah?” he paused, for an unbearable second. Rey had to remind herself to breathe. “Sounds fun.”

“It’s just a little thing,” Rey continued, not sure why she was still talking. “Rose is part of one of the planning committees so they wanted to relax the night before. Finn’s good at drinks so he’s planning on some specialty cocktails, and I’m in charge of snacks. It’ll be fun.”

“It’d love to come. If I get FO Labs’s claws out of me soon enough, I’ll swing by.”

“Cool.” She felt like a flustered teenager trying to ask out a crush. Not that that was what she was doing. This wasn’t even her idea. Finn had suggested it and Rose agreed. She was just relaying the message. It wasn’t just because she liked the idea of finally seeing him. “If you want you can bring something that will show off that Lab GC paycheck.”

“I mean I wouldn’t want to flex or anything.”

It sounded like he was going to continue, but then Rey heard a second voice. She couldn’t make out what Ben said back through the muffled speaker, but when he came back, he sounded upset.

“Sorry, I got to go. I’ll keep you posted on when I get there and all of that.”

“Okay. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just have to go deal with something,” he assured her, though he didn’t sound all that convincing. “Talk to you later?”

“Sure... Bye, Ben.”

“Bye, Rey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all are enjoying this and thank you all for reading! I hesitate to say this but if you have any questions **about the science/genetics** parts of this fic, I'd be happy to try to answer. I do my best to anticipate them with the nerd facts below, but I do forget what's common knowledge somethings (I am such a nerd). Again please **no personal questions** about you or your family's health history. Again, check out NSCG or your local GC network for information on that end. But if you want to know more about how say one twin can have a mutation but the other may not, I'm happy to geek out on you. 
> 
> **Nerd Facts** :  
> Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by tall people with long limbs. They have a mutation in the FBN1 gene (though they can be diagnoses without genetic testing) which affects their ligaments and growth. It also comes with heart problems which is the most dangerous part of the syndrome. 
> 
> Luke and Leah are fraternal twins so they are not genetically identical. They were conceived from their own eggs meaning they each had a 50/50 chance of inheriting their mom's BRCA1 mutation just like any other pair of siblings. 
> 
> The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) is a real GC society and they really do host a big conference every year. I would recommend checking out their website if you want to learn more about GCs and especially if you have any questions.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to mention that there are actually no mentions in this chapter! We've left the cases section of this fic and will be moving on to some fun conference shenanigans. Somethings are name-dropped but there is no in-depth conversation. Wanted to put that out there in case you all thought I forgot to put down flags!

ALDH2/aldehyde dehydrogenase

Rey collapsed onto the couch the moment their last guest had left. Their temporary home had been full the entire evening, and she hadn’t found much time to get off her feet. Not to say it hadn’t been a great evening. She’d had a lot of fun catching up with the couple people she knew and being introduced to the ones she didn’t. As the host, Rose had been great about making sure everyone became acquainted with each other. She’d especially been excited to have Rey meet her sister, Paige. Though Rey didn’t actually end the night making too many new friends, that was mostly due to her volunteering to watch the hors d'oeuvres. Thankfully, she had Finn who balanced his role as drink master with keeping her company. It was great to be around so many people in her field, despite how exhausted and tipsy she was when she finally hit the plush couch cushion.

That and a tad disappointed.

“Whoo,” Finn exhaled, claiming the love seat across from her. “Good party, Rose.”

“Yeah, great job,” Rey agreed.

“Thanks, guys,” Rose beamed, buzzing with post-party energy as she stepped around the end of the couch to sit next to Rey. “I think everyone had fun.”

“Well…” Finn smirked as his eyes rolled over to Rey. “Maybe not everyone.”

Rey glared back at him. He’d been making comments and poking at her all night. All she’d been was completely pleasant to everyone she spoke to, but he insisted he could see the sadness in her eyes. She’d decided a while ago that she wasn’t going to indulge him, but apparently Rose didn’t hold the same position. 

“What!?” she gasped, both sounding concerned and a little offended, “What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“She’s just been moping.”

Rose looked more confused than reassured. Before she could protest further, there was movement behind Finn. They all looked up to see Poe’s head poking out from the end of the hall.

“Is it safe to emerge?” he called out in a loud whisper. 

Finn turned to look back at his husband and waved him over. Poe had been hiding in the back rooms all night since they technically weren’t allowed to bring spouses on company trips. Though Poe had talked Finn into it since it’d been a while since they’d been to a big city together. “You’re good, babe. Anyone who could blow your cover has left,” he confirmed with a shining grin, “You can come help me tease Rey for being angsty.” 

“Why is Rey angsty?” Poe asked as he filled the space under Finn’s raised arm.

“I’m not-”

“OH!” Rose cried, struck by a realization, “Ben never showed up.”

It took all of Rey’s willpower not to hide her face behind her hands. She was already a little rosy from her drinks earlier, so there was no way they could blame the sudden wave of redness on a single mention of Ben. Poe nodded in understanding and Finn’s stupid grin widened even more. Desperately needing out of this conversation, she pulled out her phone. 

“That’s the hot guy from one of your labs, right?” she heard Poe ask. 

“That’s the one,” Finn snickered.

"We don't know that he's hot," Rey muttered, completely ignored. 

“Has something finally happened?” Rose dared to ask. Instead of acknowledging the question, Rey pulled up her email. Mostly just to look at something.

“Something was going to if he had had the balls to show up.”

Tuning them out, Rey scrolled through the dozen emails she’d gotten since last looking at the office. The bright light of her phone didn’t mix well with her inebriated state, but she was able to get most of their meanings across. Most of them were from the hospital and a couple letting her know a result was ready. Nothing she bothered opening. But then her eyes landed on one from Ben. Pausing just long enough to make sure they were still talking on without her, she clicked on it:

To: rey.jacku@dunegeneral.org  
From: ben.solo@folaboratories.org  
Subject: NSGC Arrival Time

Rey,

Sorry for the late email. I have a sudden emergency here at the office and I’m afraid I won’t be able to make that pre-conference party. At this point I’ll be lucky to get to the opening talk tomorrow. I figure it’ll be hard to communicate over email while we’re out of the office, so if you want to plan on meeting up, feel free to text me at (415)555-XXXX.  
Hope to hear from you soon!

Ben

Rey’s eyes refused to leave her screen. They kept scanning through the words, trying to process their meaning. Especially the arrangement of numbers at the end. Her friends kept talking and laughing around her, but it was impossible to hear them as her heart thumped louder every second. His phone number. He’d given her his phone number.

“What ’cha looking at?” Rose asked, peeking over her shoulder.

“Nothing,” Rey insisted, even though she hadn’t yet peeled her gaze away. 

Before she could even think to protect it, her phone was snatched away. She was immediately snapped her out of her haze by pure mortified panic.

“Checking your email at a party?” Rose asked, her astute eyes already scanning the bright screen.

“Lame!” Finn shouted, hand cupped around the edge of his mouth.

“The party is over-“

“Oh my God!” Rose suddenly screamed before Rey could come up with an attack plan, “It’s Ben.”

“NO!” Finn screeched, pushing his husband away so he could lean closer “What did he say?”

“He’s going to be late…” Rose began to read, oblivious to the fact that Rey had decided the only thing she could do was hide behind her hands. Any remaining flush from the alcohol had been completely overrun by her embarrassment and she wished the couch would swallow her whole. “He gave her his number!”

“WHAT!?” Both men cried in perfect delighted harmony.

“Since email is too slow,” Rey pleaded, not even being able to hear herself.

“He wants to take it off of company servers,” Poe gasped.

“He probably doesn’t want to worry about FO Labs looking through his message,” Finn squeed. 

“How romantic,” Poe agreed.

“Guys,” Rose silenced, “We have to call him.”

“NO!” Rey cried panic forcing her back out of herself. 

“YES!!!” both men screamed, egging on Rose as she copied the number.

“It’s late,” Rey pleaded.

“There’s a timezone,” Rose sang, already pasting the number to the call screen.

“Plus, he’d never want to miss a call from you,” Finn giggled, Poe agreeing with a kissy face.

“I can’t…” Rey managed to say before suddenly having her phone shoved to her face. It rang loudly as it was pressed to her ear and to her horror she realized it was on speakerphone. Rey was going to hang up. She HAD to hang it up. There was no way she was going to be bullied into-

Then he answered.

“Hello?”

Her heart stopped. It was him, of course, it was him. It was his phone number so why in the world would it not be him? She had to speak. She’d spoken to him like this hundreds of times and not once had she not spoken back. But this time, her brain was mush. What could she say? What did she want to say? Her friends were so excited over the idea of her calling him that they didn’t have an idea about why she would be calling him. It was late, time difference, or no. The only people who called at this hour of night-

“Hello?” he said again, knocking her out of her spiral.

“Ben?” was all she could say.

“Rey?” he asked, somehow sounding even more confused. “Are you okay?”

From the edge of her vision, she could see Poe desperately holding laughter back. Finn swatted at him to keep him quiet as they listened. 

‘What? Yeah,” Rey heaved, mortified as she thought about how weird she must sound to him, “Sorry, I just uh… I checked my email and saw your message. I… just wanted to see... what was up with you.”

Rose snapped a hand over her mouth.

“Oh, okay?” he said, sounding no less confused, but maybe a little less worried, “I’m just getting to the airport. My flight leaves in about thirty minutes.”

“Oh cool,” Rey nodded, before remembering he couldn’t see her, “That seems kind of last-minute.”

“Yeah, had a sudden flight change,” he agreed. His attention was called away for a moment before coming back in a rush of words, “Sorry, I kind of have to hurry to my flight. Can I text you when I land?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” she said, reddening even more. If that was possible. “See you at the conference then?”

“If I ever make it there,” he laughed, voice getting breathy as she realized he was walking, “The universe is just making it as hard as possible to finally see you.”

Rey froze. She couldn’t see her friend’s reactions. His comment tilted her world and knocked her over. If she was acting stupid before, what she did next was idiotic. 

“Yeah, well good luck!” was all she said before slapping her thumb on the end call button and throwing her phone back at Rose. 

The room exploded. 

“YOU HUNG UP ON HIM???” 

“HE WAS SO CONFUSED!!!”

“HE ASKED IF YOU WERE OKAY!!!”

Who said what lost all meaning as Rey slunk to the floor to wallow in humiliation. Never, in her entire life, did she think she’d embarrassed herself so much. He must have thought she was an idiot. 

They all continued to laugh at her until she sighed in resignation. It was a bad idea and she knew she’d just confused him. Still, there was a little part of her that was just really happy to have heard his voice.

National Society of Genetic Counselor's Anual Conference 

The halls of the conference center were packed. The society president had started the day off with an opening speech about the day’s events and educational offerings as the attendees ate their complimentary breakfast. Rey received a couple side glances for her large helping of bagels, but her mind was too preoccupied with the schedule to notice. Afterward, she followed Rose and Finn out of the crowd still circling the workshops she wanted to attend. There was a talk on hereditary Leukemia in the morning and a proper session on RNA testing later, and some of their students had presentations in the afternoon. It looked like it was going to be a great day. Despite the persistent knot in her stomach.

That morning, she’d woken up to a text from Ben. It was hard to read with her eyes foggy from all the “fun” the night before, but she got the gist. He was going to be late. His flight hadn’t landed until early morning, and he was going to try to at least get a couple of hours of sleep before showing his face. It was completely understandable. She probably would have made the same call and she told him so. However, the idea he could just pop up at any moment kept gnawing at her.

“Do you guys want to check out the booths?” Finn suggested once they’d escaped the bulk of the exiting crowd. 

“No, I’m going to check out that amniocentesis talk,” Rose informed them enthusiastically, “There are some new stats I want to get the sources for.”

“Sounds cool,” Rey replied, barely looking up. That talk looked interesting but didn’t really pertain to her work all that much, “I’ll go with Finn. Do we all want to meet back here before the first student presentation?”

“Sounds good to me,” Finn confirmed, “Do you want me to grab you one of those squishy Zebras before the good ones run out?”

“I’ll be okay. See you both later.”

And so, Finn and Rey broke off from Rose to continue to follow the sea of people. They all flowed steadily past the presentation rooms and out into the main lobby. It was a tall, wide room with windows on one wall and generic art on the other. In between were two lines of booths, facing back to back so that onlookers could circle them and even more tables lined the perimeter of the room. It was the largest number of vendors Rey had ever seen at the conference. Each one was decorated with colorful yet professional tablecloths and manned by at least a couple of enthusiastic representatives. 

“Do you see FO Labs’ booth?” Finn asked, craning his neck to get a look past the first couple of booths.

“Not yet,” Rey admitted, not bothering to deny that she’d been looking. If Ben was coming as a GC it was very unlikely he’d have to staff the promotional booth. Though that didn’t keep the thought from tightening her stomach, “Let’s just pick a direction and loop around.”

Together the coworkers took conference tote bags from the main conference table, and began to stroll between the booths. Every lab in the country was there along with a wide variety of patient foundations, a couple of schools promoting their GC programs, and even some local hospital systems looking for new hires. The people behind them were of course very nice, and Rey was given plenty of business cards. Finn made sure they got a new bouquet of pens and was very pleased he’d been able to snag a cute promotional zebra. Compared to Rey’s, his bag was bursting by the time they made it around the first curve. She’d just agreed to hold any more items for him when FO Labs’ table appeared out of nowhere. 

“Hux!” Finn called out as he pulled her along by her suddenly sweaty hand.

“Finn,” their coordinator bemoaned, greeting them with an ever-cheery smile. “Glad to see you both made it to the conference alright.”

“Oh, it was a breeze,” Finn assured, never one to waste an opportunity to poke fun at their no-nonsense representative. “How about you? Did it take long to break through your cell bars?”

Hux let out a long-beleaguered sigh, and Rey could hardly hold back her smirk. 

“No, as head of the conference committee, I made sure to arrive early to assure I’d be able to set up the booth properly.”

“Really?” Finn balked, “I heard the rest of your team had to stage a jailbreak out to make it out here today.”

“I wouldn’t say it was that dramatic.” 

A taller darker man materialized next to Hux. Of course, he’d probably just stood up from the chair next to his, but to Rey it was as if he’d emerged from the shadows. He wore the similarly dark and dull FO Labs colors as Hux, though he hadn’t sprung for the whole suit. Despite towering over them all, he immediately struck Rey as friendlier than Hux. He had a slight but warm smile, and he seemed to approach Finn looking for genuine engagement. Which, of course, Finn immediately jumped on. 

“Are you based at the main hub?” he asked.

“Flew out from there just this morning,” the man agreed, acknowledging Rey with a friendly nodd.

“See Hux, you have it cushy dealing with us,” Finn continued, hand on his hip and everything. “If you were still stationed in the big city, you might have only had an hour to set all this up.”

When Hux balked, both Rey and the man chuckled. He actually had to turn away when Hux glared daggers up at him. She had to cover her mouth with her hand. She couldn’t condone Finn’s teasing, but she wasn’t above being amused by it. 

“Did you get to check in to your hotel with such a late flight?” Rey decided to ask the man, mostly to keep Finn from pushing Hux’s frown any deeper. 

“Yes, very early this morning,” he nodded, bringing his hand up to ruffle his hair and to put some more space between him and his coworker. “I actually missed the opening talk to get an extra hour of sleep.”

“Understandable,” she assured, knowing she probably still wouldn’t have gotten up by now, “How long have you been a rep for FO Labs?”

“Actually, I’m a GC,” he corrected, seemingly amused by the thought, “I’m horrible at sales.” 

“It is not a gift everyone is blessed with,” Finn remarked, earning another eye roll from Hux. 

“Oh, well, maybe you know Ben Solo,” Rey heard herself saying, “He’s the lab GC we work with at FO Labs.”

Once the words were out of her mouth, it finally dawned on her. The man’s smile vanished from his lips the moment she finished speaking. Rey watched the light in his eye shift from professional friendliness to silent shock. He went from looking at her to looking her over, like he himself had finally put two and two together. 

“Rey?”

They just kept staring at each other. His mouth had relaxed just enough to part his lips ever so slightly. Rey’s eyes wandered down to them, but then back at his eyes and then away again. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what she could do. This was all new territory for them and she couldn’t believe she’d let it sneak up on her. Not a single thought filled her head, except that that was Ben and he was here. Well, maybe the realization that he was as beautiful as she’d hoped. 

“Ben!” Finn interjected, rescuing all of them with a warm hand reaching out to Ben as an olive branch, “Good to see you man.”

“Finn,” Ben basically sighed. As the palm of his hand clapped against Finn’s, everyone seemed to snap back to reality, “It’s great to finally meet you both in person.”

“Likewise, big guy,” Finn grinned like the hero he knew he was. 

Having seemingly pulled himself together, Ben turned back to Rey with a similarly outstretched hand. Rey momentarily panicked at the thought of taking his hand, but waved it away. It would be unprofessional not to shake his hand. That’s what colleagues do after all. 

“I’m glad you finally made it, Ben,” she told him, placing her hand in his.

He smiled down at her, enveloping his hand in hers. It took all of her being not to fixate on the feeling of his skin touching hers and just focus on making sure her grip was as firm as his. Clasped together they shook up then down in the quick way professionals do. And yet, her heart skipped a beat when their gaze locked. 

“I’m glad I did too.”

She pulled her palm away too soon, and they were back to keeping their hands to themselves on opposite sides of the booth. Hux looked annoyed, Finn smiled brightly, and Rey and Ben tried not to openly stare at each other. 

“So why are you manning the booth?” Finn asked, happy to ignore whatever just happened to reignite their light banter. 

“I’m actually not,” Ben clarified, as his hands found their way to his pockets, “I had to check in here and took it as an opportunity to catch up with Hux.”

Either completely oblivious or extremely apathetic about the whole thing, Hux shook his head as if upset he had to speak again. “We were roommates back in undergrad.”

“Aw, that’s cute,” Finn remarked, delighted to see Hux’s eye roll. 

They all laughed, though Rey could only hear Ben’s. The way he spoke in person wasn’t much different than how he did on the phone. Slowly, she began to merge them together as the same person. That familiarity helped soften the edges of her nerves. It was embarrassing that she hadn’t figured it out sooner. His tone was the same, his retorts were the same, and his laugh was definitely the same. This was Ben. Her Ben. So it shouldn’t be that hard asking him what she’d been wanting to ask him for the past dozen weeks.

“Does that mean,” Rey heard herself saying before she could overthink it, “That you’d be free to join us for a couple of talks today?”

Ben’s eyebrow shot up. “Which ones are you guys going to?”

“Well,” she hummed, happy to look down at her schedule to escape his… his everything if but for a moment “I wanted to go to the Leukemia talk… Rose is currently at the Amniocentesis one… and Finn, you wanted to catch the neurofibroma session right?”

“I do indeed.”

“We have some open hours in the afternoon if you want to pick one too.”

Ben smiled. Like, a big bright smile that made Rey’s heart flip. It wasn’t as large or as toothy as Finn’s, but it somehow was just as warm and genuine. Her cheeks blushed and she willed him to speak just so he could stop looking at her like that.

“Sounds good to me,” Ben beamed, nodding to her and then thankfully to Finn, “Do you guys want me to meet you at the first one?”

Rey’s heart rate spiked, mirroring her head as she shook it up and down, “Sure.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Finn grinned, placing a steady hand on her shoulder, “We’ll see you there buddy.”

And then they were walking away. Finn steered her using the grip on her shoulder while Rey fought back the intense flush that immediately washed over her body. They ignored the rest of the booths as Rey declared the room too hot and fanned herself with the schedule. To his credit, Finn didn’t laugh, but there was no helping the smile plastered on his face nor the one stuck on hers. 

RUNX1, CEBPA, PML, /Hereditary Leukemia

It was Rose who made sure Rey sat next to the empty seat. 

Finn had dragged Rey along to ambush Rose the moment her talk ended. There was nothing Rey could do but watch him fill Rose in with liberal embellishments until she had two friends vibrating with excitement. 

“I swear they were love-struck,” Finn recounted as the three of them walked to the new presentation room, Rey sheepishly following behind them, “Completely lost for words.”

“I can’t believe I missed it,” Rose whined, “You need to come get me when fate decides to crash in through the window.”

Rey sighed, having given up control of the story before it had even begun. She’d made peace with the fact her friends were only excited for her even if she thought they were having a little too much fun with it. Which was why when they found the presentation room they were looking for, she didn’t put up much of a protest when she was instructed where to sit. One seat from the end, so that a certain someone knew where to sit when he got there. 

However, he still wasn’t there when the speaker began their presentation. Rey tried very hard not to worry about it too much. He’d been late to the entire conference, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that he’d found one more thing to get tangled up in. It wasn’t like she’d asked him on a date or anything. It was literally just a talk. A talk that gave them an excuse to sit shoulder to shoulder, but still just a talk. 

“Hey.”

Three slides into the presentation, Ben Solo slipped into the seat next to her. He’d gotten surprisingly close to greet her, as if he whispered directly in her ear. She’d have been startled if she wasn’t so relieved to see him. She was going to try to keep it cool, but couldn’t help but light up like a Christmas tree when she greeted him with a smile. For her efforts, she got one in return. 

“Sorry I didn’t text you when I got here,” he whispered again, a more comfortable but still close distance from her face, “Hux was blowing up my phone and rushing me all morning.”

“It’s okay,” she assured, trying to be extra quiet. Behind her, she felt her friends leaning against her, not only to catch what they were saying but also to nudge Rey just a little closer, “It can’t be comfortable getting ready with Hux breathing down your neck.”

His chuckle vibrated low against her eardrum. She had to stop herself from pulling on her earlobe as his attention moved over her. He raised his head enough to glance at Finn and Rose with a gracious wave. The two knuckleheads did the same, sitting back up in their chairs slowly. Rey let out an amused huff before returning her full attention back to the speaker. 

Or at least, she tried to. She really wished she’d invited him to a presentation she wasn’t interested in since his very presence consumed over half of her attention. He loomed large on the edge of her vision even if he was making an effort not to take up too much of her personal space. He’d turned away, taking advantage of the extra room allowed by the aisle seat. He’d crossed his left leg over his right, making sure not to let his knee draw too close to hers. Along with his folded arms, one would think he looked like a pretzel. But if he was uncomfortable he didn’t show it. In fact, he seemed very attentive. Eyes facing straight ahead and nodding along to the speaker’s questions. Rey highly doubted that she was giving off the same demeanor. Her posture was as taut as a bowstring: sat up straight, shoulders squared back, and limbs locked against her sides. It was a miracle she wasn’t straining anything. For their efforts, there were a few wavering millimeters between their shoulders. Which, for some reason, was a matter of utmost importance. 

There was a strong possibility that Rey hadn’t breathed for the entire presentation. Because, by the time the speaker wished them a good rest of their conference, a sort of pressure popped within her chest. It released a wave of relief that left her winded. 

“That was a really good talk,” she told Ben, only being 60% confident that that was true. 

“It was,” Ben agreed to her relief. He also must have been relieved, because he let out a sigh strong enough to push the wisps of hair that curled around her ears. “I’m going to have to watch for her paper to come out.”

Rey beamed when he gave her another smile. Something about seeing his lips turned up like that made her heart leap. It wasn’t that she didn’t know he smiled. She’d gotten him laughing many times, especially when he listened to her vent. But those did nothing to prepare her for actually seeing it.

“I’ll probably email her,” Rey declared, suddenly standing up once she realized she’d been blatantly staring at his lips. “I bet she has some good brochures I can give to our hematology oncology doctors.”

“Good idea,” Ben coughed, grabbing the tote she’d forgotten between their seats and holding it out to her as he stood, “I may try to get FO Labs to start working on an informative--.”

And then, without warning, she was falling forward. A body had been pushed into her back, making her lose her balance like a domino. Which meant she was on a crash course towards Ben’s chest. 

“Oh, careful,” he stammered as he easily caught her, stopping the chain of falling scientists. His quick thinking had also prevented her from landing flush against him and instead left her dangling a few inches away from his apparently solid pectoral muscles. Instead, their only point of contact were her two elbows, supported gently by his steady hands. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, whatever calm she’d cultivated immediately mutated into mortification. Desperate to extract herself from him, she used his forearms to pull herself back up, fingertips tingling from the extra contact. Though, she made the mistake of looking up at him as she did so, bringing their noses mere centimeters apart. She was close enough to see his pupils dilate as their eyes met. She stood frozen in his gaze, only peripherally noting that his Adam's apple bounced when he swallowed. If it was possible, Rey probably would have exploded.

“Uh, guys,” a pointed finger said, distracting both of them long enough to remember they were in a room full of people. “Can we get moving?”

Looking over her shoulder, she followed the extended digit back to Rose. Both she and Finn were failing at hiding their utter delight. It was only then that Rey put together that Finn had been the one pushed into her, and wondered if someone else had pushed Rose into him. From the gleam in her eyes, Rey doubted that. She snapped her head back to Ben. 

“Right,” she said, finally letting go of his arms to motion toward the empty space behind him. 

“Right,” he nodded, also snapping out of… whatever had just happened. He held out the tote to her again, having apparently kept ahold of it that entire time. She took it sheepishly and waited to follow him out. 

Only then did Finn crack. He let out a graciously quiet snicker and gently pressed her when she didn’t immediately exit the row of chairs. After taking a moment to glare back at them, she rushed forward to catch up with Ben, who was moving slow enough to wait for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, that's definetly the biggest chapter by far! Not intencially, that's just how it worked out with me pushing three cases together for each chapter. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> **Nerd Facts**
> 
> ALDH2 translates into one of the two enzymes which important for breaking down alcohol called aldehyde dehydrogenase. If you have ever heard of "Asian Flush" where people of Asian descent turn red after drinking too much alcohol, it is caused by a deficiency in this gene. 
> 
> Amniocentesis is a procedure where a bit of amniotic fluid taken during pregnancy and used for genetic testing. It has some risks to it, so it is suggested on a case by case basis. 
> 
> The zebra squishies are a real thing that one of the lab does every year and they're usually dressed up as something. I've seen cowboy zebras, witch zebras, rockstar zebras. I got my first zebra this year which I'll call Birthday zebra. I love him very much. 
> 
> Hereditary Leukemia is an emerging area of genetics as for a while we didn't think it was a thing. It's harder to test people with a blood cancer because we have to test a piece of skin to make sure it's not contaminated with any cancer cells. There is some really cool research going on with it right now and it's something I'm personally interested in.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Mentions Again!

Improving Clinical Participation in Large Scale Statistical Studies 

Thank God the rest of their morning was uneventful. Rey decided to escape the ever-enthusiastic gazes of her friends and followed Ben to a corporate lab panel. It was all about lab logistics and clinic outreach, which--beyond being incredibly boring-- gave her the opportunity to observe Ben in his natural environment. Despite how much they joked about FO Labs, seeing him so attentive and quick to ask questions betrayed just how much he really liked being a lab GC. He asked about including rural hospital systems in research studies, questioned current clinical inclusion methods, and really tried to engage with the people on the panel. It was really cute to see, especially when he’d glance over and remember she was there. 

“Have you ever been on a panel like that?” Rey asked as they left the presentation hall together. 

“Not for anything as big as this,” he lamented, steps landing softly on the loudly patterned carpet, “I’m usually only sent to smaller events when FO Labs lets me speak for them.”

“Rose is a part of the planning committee for our local GC conference,” she suggested, casually adjusting the tote on her shoulder. “If you wanted, I’m sure she would love to have you as a speaker.”

“Think so?” he smiled, eyeing down at her, “What kind of numbers does that conference attract?”

“Every GC in the surrounding states, plus students from those schools. It’s a good time really.”

“Sounds like it. I’d be happy to have an excuse to venture out to Dune County.”

Rey’s breath caught. She wasn’t used to this. This… flirtatious back and forth. Well, maybe she was, but not when his eyes were glued to her like this. It was hard to keep up with, especially when she seemed to be speaking before she really knew what she was saying. It was like she was on autopilot, and she just had to hope that she was being taken to her desired outcome. Which she also didn’t really know. 

“Mr. Solo.”

What was with FO lab employees materializing out of nowhere? Hux was suddenly standing in front of them. Rey stuttered to a stop with a light touch from Ben making sure she didn’t trip over herself. His hand hovered over her elbow for only as long it took him to stop and stare down the redhead in front of them. Despite his lesser height, Hux met Ben’s gaze with a stern glare before slowly glancing between the two of them. His eyes settled on Rey long enough that she thought he was reading her like a book. Which only startled her when he sighed. 

“Management is waiting for us,” he finally said, attention back on Ben.

“Is it lunchtime already?” Ben asked, knowing full well they’d already been moving toward the main hall. 

“Indeed. You’ll have to excuse us, Rey, I’ll be taking him back now.”

Rey nodded, trying not to look too disappointed. “Sure, see you both afterward?”

“If you must,” he relinquished before turning on the back of his heel. He didn’t even look behind him to make sure Ben was following. 

“It’s like he’s your handler.”

“He has me on a much longer leash than I’m used to,” Ben sighed, taking a reluctant step toward Hux, turning so he was facing her. “I’d better follow him. May I join you for your students’ poster presentation this afternoon?”

“You really don’t have to. It starts pretty late in the afternoon.” 

“I love student presentations,” he insisted, his gait bouncing as he took large, slow steps backwards, “I like asking questions that help them think about their topic differently.”

“So, you like throwing them curveballs?”

“I’m not mean about it! I just like to give them a chance to show off what they know.”

Rey shook her head, laughing, “I guess you can come, if you promise you’ll be nice!”

“I’ll be a true gentleman,” he called back to her as he finally turned around to catch up with Hux. Rey couldn’t stop herself from watching him until he disappeared into the crowd. 

Providing Clinical Recommendations Based on Conflicting Variant Interpretations 

“You have some good students.”

Ben and Rey were waiting together just outside the door of the poster hall. He was bouncing slightly on the heels of his shoes as he leaned against the wall, while she stood to the side of the door similarly fidgety. 

“We’re really lucky to have them,” she agreed, craning her neck back to look through the door. “There aren’t many programs willing to send their students such a long way for a short rotation.” 

Inside, she could see there were only a handful of occupants still lingering. Finn and Rose were tucked next to a temporary wall talking to one of their past students. Rose was chatting away, her wide smile never faltering. Others may have found that to be a lot, but their student seemed all too happy to soak up her praise. Finn was standing with his back toward the door, so Rey couldn’t see how much he was contributing to the conversation. However, she had a sinking suspicion that he knew exactly how long they were taking. Either way, Rey sighed and turned back to Ben with an apologetic smile. 

“You don’t have to wait if you need to go. Finn and Rose will understand.”

“No, I’d love to wait with you,” he insisted, dark locks drifting over his eyes as he leaned forward. He paused--maybe hearing what he just said--before adding, “I can walk to my hotel, so I don’t have a cab waiting or anything.”

Rey smiled before settling against the wall next to him. Despite his reluctance to leave, she knew he was tired. She was exhausted, and she’d gotten at least twice as much sleep as he had. They’d grabbed coffee from one of the vendors in between presentations, but it was nowhere near strong enough. Thankfully, she didn’t think she, Rose, or Finn were planning anything for the evening. A lot of companies meet up after the first day of the conference to debrief, and that usually means going out for dinner or the hotel lounge. However, one of the perks of renting a house was that if they wanted to talk about their day, they could just meet in the living room and hope Poe had found something bubbly at the grocery store. The cozy thought made her yawn. 

“Are the FO Labs people doing anything after this?” she asked him, pushing off the wall again to shake herself awake. 

“Not that I’ve heard of,” he told her, lip curling up at her kind of jiggle as she paced in front of him. “We’ve got an early breakfast planned to talk about our panel tomorrow, but I don’t think anyone wanted to see each other any sooner.”

Rey nodded, but her movements slowed. This new information dislodged a thought somewhere in the back of her brain, but it took a moment for her to recognize what it was. Once she did, she froze. If she didn’t have any plans, and now she knew he didn’t have any plans, did that mean she should ask him if… they wanted to make plans?

Her heart nearly stopped. 

“Those two are taking forever.” 

After a pivot that about gave her whiplash, she stalked back past a clueless Ben and through the still empty doorway. There was no escaping the thought, but maybe if she could add Rose and Finn into the situation, it would be harder to act upon. Maybe the three of them actually did have plans and she had just forgotten. She didn’t want to be too rash and disappoint her friends after all. Which would have been a nice thought, if they hadn’t completely vanished. 

“They’re gone.”

Locked in the doorway, Rey could clearly see the entirely empty hall. It was occupied by nothing but rows of false walls and scattered chairs. Now that she was scrutinizing the room through the lens of panic, she could see that just on the other side of that was the outline of another exit. It blended well enough to the carpeted divider that served as the room’s wall, so she hadn’t noticed it as they admired the posters. Though, knowing her friends, they’d probably spotted it the moment they’d stepped inside. From there, it wouldn’t have taken much for them to come up with this plan. Those absolute traitors.

Ben suddenly appeared behind her. She didn’t look back at him, but she could feel his breath wisping down the back of her neck. He probably didn’t realize how close he’d gotten in his rush to confirm her observation. He got closer still when he leaned over her shoulder to see more of the room. 

“Did we miss them walking out?” 

Rey sighed. A deep, long sigh that carried more than just her frustration with her friends. In a way, it was a resignation. An acknowledgment of what she had to do. 

“No, they’re long gone,” she told him, shoulders sagging in defeat. 

“They wouldn’t leave without you,” he assured, assuming too much from them. “They’re your ride back, right?”

At that, she dared to turn her face toward him. He was already looking at her, which brought their faces incredibly close. Brought their lips incredibly close. Rey didn’t mean to stare again, but she couldn’t benign she like looking at them. They were pink, full, and pulled apart ever so slightly. She immediately thought of bringing them closer. Maybe putting her lips to his. She nearly pulled away at the thought, but instead let her eyes drift back up to his. They locked on to hers instantly. Their warm browns shone with a shy wonder that Rey was afraid to name. More importantly, however, they were searching for something. Something Rey really hoped she could give him. 

“Should we go look for them upfront?” 

His innocent question broke them free and Rey could only smile at him. When she turned to face him, he gave her a couple of steps back, restoring the comfortable space they’d maintained all day. His hand came up to comb through his hair, letting it fall back in a cascade of locks. Rey, herself messed with the tote still looped over her arm, but when it was set she stood up straight and looked up at him. 

“They’ve definitely left me, Ben.”

He didn’t respond at first, probably taken back by her bluntness. It wouldn’t have been her first choice of a signal, but it was what felt most honest. He seemed to need a moment to register that honesty, but eventually, he got what she meant. 

“In that case,” he murmured, taking a moment to collect his words before he spoke. “Would you like to go to dinner with me?”

At that, Rey beamed. Not in a cutesy ‘of course’ smirk, but a stupid, hopelessly giddy smile that made her jittery all over. She didn’t know how long she wanted him to ask her that, it felt like a long time coming. Before she’d even found her words, he responded with his own shy grin, as he looked away to hide the red on his cheeks. They were being stupid. They’d been very stupid. But, she kind of liked being stupid with him. 

“I’d love to.”

He laughed a relieved, toothy laugh. Like he’d been holding his breath and all his anxieties instantly turned to joy. There was no describing what kind of feeling that churned up in Rey, but she was happy to hold onto it. So, when she decided to finally leave that accursed doorway, she reached out and took his hand. 

“Do you like sushi?”

At first, he looked down at their attached limbs in shock. Perhaps wondering if it had happened by magic. But then he closed his fingers around hers. First, as a blanket over her fingers and then lacing his between them. 

“I’m a sucker for a good sushi place,” he confirmed, biting his lip slightly as he took their first step away from the presentation room. 

“Good, because I don’t get it too much out in the middle of nowhere,” she admitted, happy to lean against his side. “Do you know of any good places around here?”

“I think I heard Hux talk about one place downtown,” he suggested, eyeing her with a giddy gleam in his eye, “Could be a place to start?”

She smiled at him. They’d been talking over the phone for so long, it was still kind of surreal to actually be looking at him. She felt like she both did and didn’t know him, which made the fact she was holding his hand all that more exciting. Eventually, she wanted to know everything about him, but for now, she’d settle on what she could find out over dinner.

“Let’s do it.”

AMY1A/Amylase

“I’m visiting my parents this year for Christmas.”

Rey’s fork paused over her pasta. Ben’s face was shining brightly through her computer screen, which he’d insisted she set up like they were having dinner together. Ever since they started talking/dating/figuring out what they were, he’d been trying to come up with more creative ways to spend time together. Not that he didn’t enjoy sending awkwardly formal text messages back and forth. That night, they tried making the same dish for dinner which turned out to be a lot more fun than Rey expected. She learned that Ben was a far more precise cook than Rey who had lived off the same 5 dishes her entire life. He was appalled by the fact she didn’t have a full set of measuring spoons even though she assured him she knew what a tablespoon looked like. In fact, he did not believe her when she announced that everything turned out great. Which it did because she knew what she was doing.

“Do you not visit them every year?” she asked, watching her utensil resume stabbing at her food. 

“I haven’t always,” he admitted, getting distracted by his own bowl of perfectly plated noodles. “We weren’t exactly a happy family for a while there. Everyone cramming into my Mom’s house to spend Christmas together would not have flown even a few years ago.”

“You all stay with your mom?” She imagined Ben crunched up on his childhood bed which caused a smile to spread across her face. “Is it just you, your uncle, and your grandfather who have to travel from out of town?”

“My uncle Chewie comes too, but he lives nearby.”

“Chewie?” Her eyebrows scrunched, she didn’t remember seeing a Chewie on his dad’s pedigree, though it was possible that’s what he called his mom’s brother. 

“My dad’s best friend,” he clarified, laughing to himself, “Been around all my whole life. I think they met when my dad was overseas.”

“That’s cool he gets to spend the holidays with you.”

“Yeah,” he agreed before something dropped his gaze down toward the table. His hair fell across his face partially hiding the fact he was chewing on his bottom lip. She would have asked what he was thinking about, if seeing his lip disappear didn’t...distracted her. “I mention it because… I was wondering if you would want to come with me.”

She nearly dropped her fork. Ben was looking back up at his screen, waiting for a reply, but Rey couldn’t form a straight thought. In hindsight, she should have known this was where he was going with this. In fact, she should have seen this coming from a mile away. Part of her wondered if this whole dinner idea had all been a build-up for this very question. He had gotten a little weird a few weeks ago when she mentioned she wasn’t planning on taking much time off for the holidays. She wondered if he started planning this the moment after they said good night. 

“I think it sounds like fun,” she admitted, tucking a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. “Would you just be in town for Christmas?”

“Usually yes, along with Christmas Eve, but this year I was thinking of maybe taking the whole week up until New Years.”

The implication “to spend time with you” hung heavy in between them. She had to admit she really liked the idea. It would be the first time they would get to see each other in a non-work environment. They’d have almost a whole week to do “coupley” things that didn’t have to be mediated through a video call. Not that there was much around that they could do in the middle of a desert, but they could figure something out. Now she was wondering if he really was planning on staying with his parents, or was hoping to stay with her….

“I’ve never been to a family Christmas before,” she blurted out, hoping she didn’t look as red as she felt. “Finn, Poe, Rose, and I do a little dinner on the 23rd, but that’s mostly just an excuse to drink too much.”

Ben laughed, hiding a bit of sadness behind his big grin. By now, she had gotten used to people getting oddly upset when she told them about her lack of Christmas festivities. She understood the day was very important for some people and tried not to get too annoyed at their well-intentioned pity. Though, what she picked up from Ben didn’t have that same feel exactly. What he was expressing seemed more genuine, more determined to do something about it. 

“My Dad does bring a spiked eggnog,” he continued, running his hand back through his hair, “But I wouldn’t recommend drinking more than a cup of it.”

“Why? Is it too strong or just not very good?”

“It’s actually kind of impressive. It is both so strong it covers up any nog flavor, but not strong enough to make you feel anything.”

“So why does he make it every year?”

“Because my Mom once joked that it was her favorite part of Christmas.”

When she laughed, he broke out in a smile again. That was the best part of video calling. Actually being able to see him smile, instead of trying to listen for it. It was becoming her favorite part of him. That big goofy smile. 

“If that’s your mom’s favorite thing, what’s your favorite part of Christmas?”

“Hmm,” he paused, stealing his face as he thought. “When I was a kid I would have to say the presents of course.”

“Of course.”

“But now… I think it’s just getting to come back and hang out with my family for a couple of days.”

“Naw, that’s sweet.”

“It’s cheesy I know, but they’re all such different, weird people. Makes for an interesting family dinner.” He paused for a moment. “I think you’ll really like them.”

From what he’s told her, she was sure she would too. They seemed to be the craziest cast of characters that would make any day interesting. Her real hesitation came from how she would then slot into their newly built family dynamic. She’d essentially be joining them as Ben’s girlfriend--a title which still gave her butterflies--and there was no way to predict how that would go. Not that she thought it would be a disaster or anything. She already knew Han, who Ben said was floored when he told him they were talking. If all else failed, she could get him talking about the airplanes Ben said he flew. She was a little nervous meeting his mom, but everything he’d ever said about her made her sound like the coolest person alive. Overall, it sounded like a lot of fun. It just also felt like a big step. 

“It sounds really great,” she finally told him. “Should I bring something with us? Like a hostess gift or something?”

Ben’s entire face lit up. She’d have said yes a thousand times if she could get to see him look so happy every time. 

“We always run out of fudge. Uncle Luke blames Grandpa, but he eats most of it.”

“I don’t think I’ve made it before.” she admitted with a chuckle “Though I am happy to attempt it.” 

“I can help you.”

“I’d love that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the fic! This was my comfort fic over this past year so it is definitely near and dear to my heart. Thank you all so much for joining me on this extremely nerdy story and I hope you have enjoyed (and maybe even learned something). Bless you all <3
> 
>  **Nerd Facts**
> 
> The first two chunk titles are worded like real research projects. Yes, they are usually that long and wordy. 
> 
> Amylase an enzyme that is important in breaking down carbohydrates.

**Author's Note:**

> This is beta’ed by the always amazing and wonder @lady-baconator. Literally could not write if not for her patients with my inability to place commas nor would I ever dare to post anything without her. Also thank you to @fangirlintheforest and @shipperofdarkness for just being the best and encouraging me throughout this whole year. I cannot thank any of you enough!


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